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HGB honored with MHA’s Ludwig Community Benefit Award

Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital (HGB) was announced as a winner of the 2016 Ludwig Community Benefit Award Thursday, June 30, at The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Annual Membership Meeting. HGB received the honor for opening AL!VE, its experience-based destination health park, with the goal of improving community health and vitality.

AL!VE was opened in late 2011 thanks to the inspiration of the HGB Board of Trustees, which was affirmed and supported by the community. HGB transformed an abandoned grocery store on 18 wooded acres with the community’s financial support, engagement and trust.AL!VE is an innovative community resource that removes barriers to healthy behaviors and improves the well-being of mid-Michigan residents.

The health park has successfully drawn participants from every age group and a broad socioeconomic demographic, and has provided measurable improvement in health indicators. Within one facility, AL!VE provides the community with access to clinical services, health education opportunities, physical activity, relaxation spaces, children’s health and wellness space, recreational programming, conference space and social opportunities. By early 2016, AL!VE was averaging more than 200,000 visits per year from people representing 250 different ZIP codes. AL!VE also serves as a national model for collaborative and environmentally sustainable urban redevelopment. More than 40 hospitals have visited to learn more about the history and development of the health park.

“The development of AL!VE has only been possible because our community embraced our vision. It is an honor to be recognized for our efforts by MHA, and it affirms the achievements we have experienced to date,” said Patrick Sustrich, executive director and HGB vice president of health and wellness. “We continue to expand programming, services and opportunities as our visitors discover within AL!VE what they need to continue to achieve health and vitality.”

The Ludwig Community Benefit Award is named in memory of Patric E. Ludwig, a former MHA president who championed investing in the community’s overall health, and is presented to member organizations integrally involved in collaborative programs to improve the health and well-being of area residents. Each winner receives $3,000 from the MHA Health Foundation to assist in its health improvement efforts.

Based in greater Lansing, the MHA advocates in Michigan and Washington, DC, on behalf of healthcare providers and the communities and patients they serve. The MHA is a nationally recognized leader on initiatives that protect and promote quality, cost-effective and accessible healthcare. To learn more, visit www.mha.org.

Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital has been the Charlotte community’s choice for health care for more than 80 years. HGB is committed to working together in health to provide quality care and enhance the vitality of the community. It expanded its vision beyond providing traditional hospital services to one that promotes health and well-being through AL!VE. Learn more about HGB at www.hgbhealth.com and AL!VE at www.myalive.com.